State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Nokia will team up to bring new generation 5G network solutions in India.

Nokia plans to utilise its 5G FIRST, an end-to-end 5G solution, the AirScale radio access portfolio and AirFrame datacenter platform for extreme broadband, ultra-reliability and low-latency communication and to also support the future network demands connected to Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities.

The companies will also make use of technologies such as SDN (software defined networking), Multi-access Edge Computing and cloud to help BSNL improve future network demands of remote healthcare, virtual reality, augmented reality, connected cars, and full automation of homes and businesses.

"In line with the Indian Government's thrust to boost the digital infrastructure to enhance economic growth, Nokia is delighted to partner with BSNL in the development of 5G ecosystem for the Indian market. We will leverage our global experience in 5G-related industry projects and collaborations to enable BSNL to evolve their networks for the programmable world," Sanjay Malik, head of India Market, Nokia, said in a statement.

India's largest network carrier Airtel too has inked similar pact with the Finnish company. The new entrant Reliance Jio will be working with Samsung for 5G upgradation, while they scale up 4G network connectivity in more regions of the country. So far, the Reliance Jio coverage in India has reached 90%.

Government is utilising its PSUs (BSNL, Railtel and Power Grid) to complete the project by the end of 2018. Now, that Nokia has come on board with BSNL, the latter will be able to fast track its work on the NOFN programme.